Cape May, NJ

[Deldino]

We're going to Cape May late next week. We haven't been there since Sept. '05., although we go almost once a year for many years. We are going to the Black Duck one night. Where else would you go?

We don't like 410 Bank. Found the Ebbitt Room a little too precious. Lobster House-no, no, no. We like the Washington Inn, although last time they rushed us through our meal in world record time. Is there anything new there?

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We really enjoyed the Moonfish Grill - the food was very good, the service was a tiny bit slow but they had a guitar player where we sat so it was fine to wait.

I think this is their website

http://www.moonfishgrill.com/Home.asp

[pnapoli]

hey Scarlet Knight...

have you tried Frescos (next to 410 and same owners)? i went recently for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. i thought it was better than 410, which i used to like but now, not so much. and the service was great, too.

haven't been to the Pier House (the former Water's Edge) yet but it's on my to-try list for the summer. the menu doesn't excite me much but i keep seeing the chef on the local cable channel (the show that promotes all the Wildwood restaurants) and his segment has piqued my interest.

let's see...what else...not sure if your comment about the Ebbitt Room was directed at the food or the atmosphere, but if it was the latter, did you know you can order small plates while sitting on the front porch -- might be a nice alternative if you like the food but find the dining room to be a bit much (which i get, btw but i think the food is great ).

oh yeah -- how about Union Park? i've only been once but thought it was quite good, and i've really got to get back there to try their burger, which sounds tempting. decor-wise, it's sort of a fuddy duddy hotel dining room as you'd expect, but the vibe made up for it -- a little loud, but relaxed and fun.

have a great time!

go Rutgers, yo

Edited July 3, 2007 by pnapoli (log)

[Wiener]

Try the mussels at Lucky Bones. Interesting pasta with gorgonzola sauce. Only thing I don't like is the mess it makes. Not so easy to eat. The Italian beer is light and refreshing. Usually have to wait about 35 minutes but they have a nice porch. Have been there a few times this month. Less crowded because of the chill in the air down there.

[pnapoli]

Copper Fish is most definitely CLOSED.  It was dark on both Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend when I was there last.

they're open!

[KatieLoeb]

they're open!

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Really? Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse sitting at the bar, by any chance?

Doesn't sound like they're off to a good start this season. I can't imagine any reason not to open two months ago and miss half of an already short season in which to make one's annual receipts. Having worked a restaurant through a bankruptcy, I recognize the harbingers of insolvency when I see them.

I wish them the best of luck. Perhaps I'll finally get a chance to check the place out on my next trip down.

[pnapoli]

they've got a big ad in Exit Zero this week saying "we're back...new management, new chef, new look, new menu". the new chef is formerly of Moonfish Grill. i'll try to get over there next week.

[monavano]

My DH and I recently spent a few glorious days in Cape May, NJ. We stayed at the Sandpiper Resort instead of a BNB for the first time. Since it was equipped with a full kitchen, we were able to enjoy the local foods and do some cooking.

On the way there, we stopped at a roadside farm stand and picked up some Jersey tomatoes, corn, lima beans and nectarines. Everything was amazing, especially the Jersey tomatoes.

We had a few good meals out too. Union Park Café in the Hotel Macomber has a lovely old school hotel dining room, with very nice service. Our two meals were a bit of a dichotomy, however. I ordered the asparagus soup with crab, and the Chilean sea bass over sautéed spinach and a manchego cheese potato pancake. Both were delicious and plated nicely.

My DH was not as fortunate in his selections. His appetizer was shrimp served with a tamarind dipping sauce and pineapple. It was cold and skimpy. For the main, duck breast was complimented nicely with a red wine reduction sauce but was plated as if it were meatloaf with 2 sides. The sides, greens on one and corn on the other looked heaped onto the plate and did not make any rhyme or reason sitting next to the duck.

We shared a creme brulee with berries and it was a great way to end the meal.

Gecko did not disappoint once again. I'm so glad this restaurant has become a perennial figure in Cape May's dining scene. We shared an order of mussels vera cruz which came in white wine sauce with olives, capers, tomatoes and onions. It only needed crusty bread to sop up the delicious liquid.

Chile rellenos camerones came with homemade black beans, jicama, pumpkin seeds, cheese and a roasted tomato cascabel sauce. DH's fajitas came with a huge amount of perfectly medium rare skirt steak. It made for tasty huevos rancheros the next morning. My only regret is that there was no room for dessert, which they get from a local German bakery.

We visited the raw bar at The Lobster House a couple times as well. The shrimp cocktail was a good deal at $8 for a dozen large firm shrimp. The crab cake sandwich is a shredded wad of under seasoned crab, deep fried with Sysco fries so bad they reminded me of the "low grade but edible" specimens I ate in high school.

On the upswing again was the cream of crab soup, laden with crab in every spoonful. Oysters Rockefeller and a 2 1/2 lb. lobster (for $26) served with corn and a baked potato had us rolling out.

We also did a little pizza comparison. Blue Moon pizza serves very thin cracker like crust pizza, toped with dabs of a slightly sweet tomato sauce and cheese. Louie's pizza (apparently voted best) was also very good, with a more doughy thicker crust and sauce topped evenly with cheese. We preferred Blue Moon.

And my favorite is Fudge Kitchen's chocolate covered salt water taffies. Like little foil wrapped crack, they are!

Edited September 17, 2007 by monavano (log)

[mascarpone]

My wife will be in the area for the 4th of July. I just wanted to bump up this thread to see if there are any recommendations on any new places or news on developments on the old places.

thanks.

[KatieLoeb]

Gecko's remains one of my favorite places in Cape May. Chef is from Santa Fe and does delicious Southwestern cuisine. BYOB to boot. The basket of warm mini corn muffins that come with butter and jalapeno jelly to slather on top are reason enough to go on their own. But the apps and mains are excellent as well.

[mascarpone]

Thanks, KatieLoeb!

[Deldino]

I was wondering is Gecko strictly outdoor eating, I can't remember?

Thanks,

[Jeff L]

I was wondering is Gecko strictly outdoor eating, I can't remember?

Thanks,

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They have indoor seating as well

[Deldino]

Thanks Jeff..

We are going in September this year instead of June and I wanted to try Gecko.

[mascarpone]

My wife and I went to Gecko's on July 5 for dinner. It was excellent; smoked trout cakes, Navajo bread, dinner salad tossed with roast corn, Oaxacan Mole, crab enchiladas, and Pear Corn Pudding and white chocolate cheese cake for dessert. The accompaniments (black beans, corn muffin with butter and jalepeno jelly, etc.) were top notch. Excellent creativity, and attention to detail in every dish. Delicious Iced tea.

The tab including tip came to around $75. A must-taste for anyone who goes to Cape May.

Get out of the way Mark Miller (Cayote Cafe), here comes Gecko's!

[suzilightning]

<BUMP>

we head down on 1 may for our annual visit. anything new in the area?

[KatieLoeb]

Suzi:

Heading down this weekend for a wedding shower. Will let you know if anything new jumps out at me or I hear about it.

[shellbellc]

So has anyone tried a new restaurant that was great? We go down to the shore quite a bit, but we're going to be down on vaca and like to do a date night or two.

We thought we'd try Blackfish in Stone Harbor or maybe Axelson's. It's been a couple of years since we've been there.

Anybody else have recommendations for restaurants from Ocean City down to Cape May??

By the way, a good family restaurant is Menz's out on 47 near the villas. Not cheap, but it's certainly an interesting restaurant. HIGHLY recommend reservations.

[markabauman]

A recent posting on another Cape May thread:

A quick recounting of our recent week in Cape May:

As mentioned, we did a little non-cooking "cooking" in our B & B. We can use their refrigerator to store some food/wine, etc. but not their stove, etc. Our room was on the second floor, with a private porch overlooking the beach and ocean and had an inside and outside table, so we prepped inside and ate outside. Got some excellent smoked fish from the Lobster House (mackerel, blue and salmon). Also some jumbo lump crabmeat, cooked shrimp and lobster for salads, cocktail, etc. Also got some fresh scallops for making ceviche (lime, onion, jalapeno, tomato, cilantro, etc.). As far as restaurants- we, as always, had a great, inexpensive meal at Luisa's. Had wanted to go to Union Park, where we had an excellent meal last year, and other guests this year recommended, but we ran out of time. Had another excellent meal at The Black Duck- the chef formerly cooked at Union Park. Had some excellent seafood apps and a decent thin crust pizza at Lucky Bone's. Jumping place that has become a favorite with locals and tourists. Some other foodie friends reported a great meal at La Verandah in the Hotel Alcott. Always under the radar, we may try it next year. Chef at the Peter Shields has left and the former sous chef is now in charge. Didn't hear good things-despite the beautiful setting. Prices are high and some people reported a little disappointment. Gecko good as always for southwestern. Went one morning to the zoo (our second trip and an incredible surprise as to how good a zoo it is-not just for kids) and it was suggested by some locals from the B & B (who I thought might have known better) that we try Tokyo Sushi in Rio Grande for lunch as they said the people who work there were Japanese. Well, it turns out they are mostly Chinese. Regardless, it was quite decent. Speaking of sushi, we were told that the Harbor View, just a little ways on the road to Wildwood, had a real Japanese itamae, and that the sushi was very good there. I am a little skeptical sometimes of places that have wonderful views of the water, etc. Sometimes the food is inversely proportional to the view quality. Actually, again, we were pleasantly surprised. The chef was, indeed, Japanese, and the sushi was very good. Beautiful day to sit by the water as well. There was a lot of buzz about a new chef who moved down who is now in charge of the Ebbitt Room. Did not get a chance to check it out. Some folks at the B & B enjoyed the old standard, the Washington Inn, for a special occasion. Did not consider 410 Bank St. this year. Was for many years one of our top favorites. Used to dream about their crawfish bisque all winter long. Really enjoyed it, but the last couple of visits left us feeling that it was a lot of money for what we got; sauces a little too rich, and the service a little indifferent and the seating a little crowded. Still very popular, however. Some friends enjoyed the Blue Pig-we didn't go, however. Nice outdoor patio- bring bug repellant. Had a very nice late lunch at the Pier House- former location of the Water's Edge. Excellent wine list (one of the few non-BYOB's we went to). Owner/chef George (CIA-trained), whom we met is Greek and lots of nice culinary touches evident. That's about it for now; if I remember anything else, I'll report back. We've already made our reservations for next year.

[Jeff L]

So has anyone tried a new restaurant that was great?  We go down to the shore quite a bit, but we're going to be down on vaca and like to do a date night or two. 

We thought we'd try Blackfish in Stone Harbor or maybe Axelson's.  It's been a couple of years since we've been there.

Anybody else have recommendations for restaurants from Ocean City down to Cape May??

By the way, a good family restaurant is Menz's out on 47 near the villas.  Not cheap, but it's certainly an interesting restaurant.  HIGHLY recommend reservations.

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I'm having a really tough time seeing Blackfish and Menz's mentioned in the same post. While Blackfish is a very good restaurant with many inventive dishes, Menz's might well be the worse restaurant I've ever been to in my life.

The very first year I took my family to Cape May about 15 years ago, I asked at the hotel where we were staying for a great recommendation that would be a standout. Without the slightest hesitation, he said "go to Menz's". After a ridiculously long wait for reasons I just can not begin to fathom, we were served the single most horrible meal ever. Even my 2 girls 7 and 9 at the time hated it and they were and continue to be really adventurous eaters. This place should be avoided at all costs, it's even worse than the institutional food served at the Lobster House.

With some places I feel time might help turn things around for the better but I doubt that about this place. I suspect that the food is still the same greasy, tasteless and non appealing mess it's always been.

[sandra]

Blackfish was very, very good last weekend - and it's not that far to Stone Harbor...

[shellbellc]

We made it to Blackfish! Can't wait to visit the on in PA this winter. I definitely recommend this restaurant. BTW, it was much more family oriented than I'd imagined. I suppose because of the shore atmosphere. They actually have a children's menu with chic fingers and spaghetti. Our waitor said the the PA location does not have that type of atmosphere.

[&roid]

Just to resurrect this old thread: We've been in Cape May for a few days now and went to the Lobster House this lunchtime. To say I'm disappointed is a massive understatement (though clearly I should have read this thread BEFORE going!).

We started with a pretty decent onion soup and some good calamari, unfortunately things went downhill terribly with the mains, a boiled lobster and a tuna steak were both so overcooked as to be ruined. My other half asked for the tuna to be simply seared, still raw rare inside... what came looked like canned fish from a supermarket. Shame really as it was a lovely looking hunk of meat, I'm sure that with half the time on a hotter grill it would have been amazing. The lobster was the same, far to long in the heat, stringy, tough, thoroughly disappointing. They can't even cook fries there.

Had a similarly disappointing meal in Atlantic City yesterday, thank god we had a couple of days in NYC before moving south (and that we managed to find some decent meat to throw on the grill at the house we are renting).

Can anyone save the culinary part of our otherwise excellent holiday with a good recommendation for the next few days?

[patrickamory]

Can anyone save the culinary part of our otherwise excellent holiday with a good recommendation for the next few days?

Are you still near Atlantic City? How about the White House? A classic.

[KatieLoeb]

The Diving Horse in Avalon is excellent. Much more upscale than most of the other shore places in the area. Quahogs in Stone Harbor is more casual, definitely less spendy and is also excellent. Definitely my two favorite places in the general vicinity.

Please report back on your experiences...